Her Savior
by roseofnoonvale
Summary: Joey has kept the abuse he has been suffering at the hands of his father. When his friends find out what is going on, he has a choice, tell them everything, or save his sister, who he has vowed to protect no matter what. How can he save serenity if he doesn't save himself.
1. Chapter 1

**I realized that when I originally started this story, it sucked. So I decided to make some changes. I'm sorry it took so long, but I've been trying to figure out how to make this a better story The story will be told in third person. Mentions abuse. Any advice or suggestions is appreciated.**

**Chapter 1**

It was your typical day in Domino City. Joey was walking home with his friends, thinking about all of the things he had to do. For starters, he had to call his sister, Serenity. He hoped he would be able to get home in time to call, before his stupid oaf of a father got home.

"Hey Yug, what time is it?" He asked. The smaller boy looked down at his watch before answering, "Almost five o'clock, why?"

"No reason. I've got to go, I'll catch up with you late," he said taking off at a jog. ""Shit," he mumbled under his breath. If he didn't get there soon, he was in for it. When he was younger, his father wasn't that bad. After his parents split, his dad started drinking. Since then Joey's life had been nothing but living Hell. Something told the boy that today would be no exception.

Joey hated lying to his friends. Instead of being honest, Joey blamed the bruises on street fights. Not that it was a complete lie, but still, it was close enough.

Joey finally reached his house, to find his dad sitting on the couch.

"Where the hell have you been boy? Do you know what time it is?" His father asked, his speech slurred by the alcohol on his breath. Joey took the chance to peek at the clock. He was only three minutes late for crying out loud.

"I was with some friends. It's not like you give a damn anyway." As soon as the words were out of his mouth, Joey knew he had said the wrong thing. He wouldn't have taken those words back even if he could. However even that thought could not prevent him from wincing in pain as his father's fist crashed into his face. Even though he knew the effort was futile, Joey swung back at his father. Even in his drunken haze, the older man managed to block the blow, before returning one of his own that knocked Joey off of his feet.

This was all the time his father needed to continue to lash out at the boy. Finally Joey realized that fighting would only make it worse. Instead he curled up, trying to protect his body, when all of a suddenly the hitting stopped. Joey let out a small sigh of relief, until he felt his father reach for his clothes. As he started to struggle again, his father aimed a kick at Joey's head with such a force that they boy was knocked into a world of darkness.

When Joey came too, all he could feel was pain. Struggling, he rose to his feet, and reached for his clothes. Getting dressed, he turned to notice his father passed out on the couch Without thinking, he walked out the door, not really paying attention to where he was heading. The only thing that crossed his mind was how weak he felt. It was no wonder that his mother didn't want him; he was nothing but a weakling.

Finally the boy looked up to find himself in front of the card shop. Joey realized how much the world was spinning, and reached forward to open the door, just as Yugi opened it from inside. Joey only had time to look up at his friend, before once again the darkness surrounded him.

**So what do you think? Please read and review. Also, does anyone know how old serenity is? **


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: I do not own Yugioh.**

**Chapter 2**

Yugi opened the door wide, and was surprised to see Joey there. As the boy collapsed, he knelt down beside him, attempting to pick him up. "Guys, come and help me," Yugi called. Within a second, Atem, Tristan, Tea, Ryou and Gramps were by Yugi's side.

Before he could say anything, Atem picked the blonde up, carrying him to the couch while the others looked on, with concern written on all of their faces. Ryou left the room and came back silently with a warm wet cloth. Gramps took the cloth and began to wash the boy's face. Softly Joey whimpered, before forcing his eyes open. Seeing his friends around him, he tried to sit up, just to have Yugi push him back.

"Dude, what happened?" Tristan asked. All the others started talking at once, not giving Joey time to put in a word.

Ryou, who until then was silent, whispered softly, "maybe we should give Joey a chance to talk." Instantly the room went quiet as the others waited for Joey to tell them what had happened.

"I-I got in a fight. I was outnumbered, so… I ran," he finished weakly. It was a horrible excuse and Joey knew it, but maybe they would believe him.

"You can tell us the truth," Atem said. The others turned to face Atem in shock. He shrugged his shoulders and said, "It's kind of obvious that he's lying."

The others turned back to Joey, as if waiting for him to deny or confirm what Joey said. Tea looked at him sadly before saying, "You know you can tell us anything. We're your friends, and that's what we are here for."

"I told you it was nothing, so lay of ok," Joey snapped. He was tired of their questions. If he let them keep this up, he was convinced that he would tell them everything. Yugi and Atem seemed to notice something was bothering Joey, but before they could say a word, Gramps spoke up.

"Why don't you young ones go on home. My grandsons and I will keep an eye on your friend."

The others looked at Joey, as if they wanted to say something, but instead, they turned to go. Finally, Yugi turned to face his best friend. "Do I need to call a doctor, or take you to the hospital?" he asked uncertainly. Joey quickly shook his head no. Without a word, Gramps left the room.

"What happened to you Joey?" Atem asked. "We can help if you'll let us."

Without thinking, Joey felt tears building up in his eyes. He blinked to brush them back, not wanting to tell his friends the real truth behind what had happened. He flipped over onto his side, to prevent them from seeing the tears that he could no longer hold back. He blinked, and tried to think of a way to think of what he could tell his friends. There was so much that he wanted to share with them, but how could he do it without making himself look weak. How do you explain to your friends that you had been lying to them for years because you didn't want them to think of you as weak? Sometimes, Joey felt as if living itself was too much. He could feel his friends concern as they watched him, waiting for the time to come when he could trust them. He realized it was time to tell them everything.


	3. Chapter 3

** Author's Note: I do not own Yugioh. Thank you to The Elegant Shadow for your helpful reviews. I really appreciate the advice, and will try to make the stories a bit longer at each new chapter. Dr. Harper is my own character.**

**Chapter 3**

Joey turned over and looked around at each of his friends in turn. Each and every one of them had always been there for him, and he had let them down by keeping this awful secret to himself after all that time.

"I lied to you guys before, about being in the gang fights. The truth is, it was my father that did this to me." A gasp could be heard throughout the room as the others took in what had happened to their best friend. Tea reached forward and put a sympathetic hand on Joey's shoulder.

"Why didn't you tell use before?" Tea asked.

"If I told, he threatened to kill my little sis. My dad blamed the fact that my mom left him on me, and after that he started drinking. Besides, it was never this bad before," he said, trying to shrug it off like it was nothing.

After a moment, Gramps came back into the room. "Joey, I called a friend of mine. He's a doctor, and he'd like to come and make sure everything is ok, as well as help to file a report against your father." His voice was calm, but it still made Joey pull himself to his feet.

"I'm fine, I don't need a doctor to check over me," he said. As every muscle in his body ached, he knew it was a lie, but he tried to convince himself more than the others.

Gramps turned to the others, with a soft smile. "Why don't you kids go on home? Joey will be here and just fine in the morning." The gang all smiled and left until only Gramps, Yugi, and Atem remained.

"What time is your friend going to get here, Grandpa?" Yugi asked.

"In about an hour. Joey, do you want something to eat?"

"No thanks," he said surprising everyone. Food was the one thing in the world that Joey would never turn down. So for him to refuse to eat meant that something was really wrong.

Instead the boy sat there in silence until Mr. Moto's friend arrived. Gramps meet him at the door and welcomed him in, before introducing him to Joey.

"Joey, this is a friend of mine, Dr. Harper."

"It is nice to meet you Joey. Mr. Moto, is there a room that I could use to examine Joey?"

Gramps pointed them to a back room, where a reluctant Joey sat down on the bed. Turning to face him, Dr. Harper asked him, "Son, how long have you been abused by your father?"

"A few years now," Joey admitted. He kept his eyes on the doctor, as If to let his distrust be known.

"Son, can I get you to take your shirt off?" Dr. Harper asked. Joey looked at him, before asking "Why" However, he knew the minute it was out of his mouth that it was a dumb question.

"I just need to do a quick examination," the older man explained. With a sigh, Joey pulled of his shirt and allowed the man to check on him. After it was over, Joey got dressed and headed back into the main room. He heard the phone ring in the background behind him, and Yugi answer the phone.

"Moto residence, how may I help you?" Then a pause followed by, "Hang on a moment please."

Yugi walked into the living room, and held up the phone toward Joey. "It's for you," he mouthed. When Joey asked who it was, Yugi shrugged. He took the phone in his hand, and said "Hello."

"Joey, it's me, "a girl's voice said on the line. Joey let out a sigh of relief as he recognized his sister's voice. Not too long ago, Joey had told Serenity to call him over at Yugi's. He spent more time here than at home anyway.

"Hey sis, what's up," Joey asked. He heard a muffled sound, as if someone was moving on Serenity's side, then just steady breathing.

"Serenity, are you there?" Joey asked trying hard not to panic. The breathing continued, and then he heard an all too familiar voice say, "Hello Joey."

Joey fumbled the phone trying hard not to drop it in shock. He said there petrified as he heard his dad say, "I've got your sister and your mother. If you want to see either off these stupid bitches again, then I suggest you do as I say. You still there boy?" His dad's voice was gruff, but for now at least it did not sound as if his dad was drunk.

"Yeah, what do I do?" Joey could handle the abuse that he had suffered, but there was no way that he would let his father hurt his sister. He listened patiently as his dad gave him instructions. He was to meet him at his mom's house. He should come along, and not tell a soul. Joey was pretty sure what he was about to do would be considered a death wish, but he had promised that he would never let anything happen to his sister. It was time for him to keep that promise. The only problem was getting out of the house without anyone discovering where he was going. Joey was glad that Yugi had left the room after handing him the phone. He wasn't sure, but he thought that the others were in the kitchen. It was time to escape.

**I'm going to end it here, because I'm trying to figure out exactly what is going to happen. The next chapter will be longer, and hopefully better. Please read and review.**


	4. Chapter 4

**Author's note: Inspiration strikes at the strangest time, for example, about five minutes after midnight. So if this isn't my best chapter, then I apologize, but my mind won't leave me alone. I do not own Yugioh.**

**Chapter 4**

Joey made his was silently to the front door, he was almost out when he tripped over the leg of the table. Muttering under his breath, Joey stood back up again, and started out the door, when Yugi walked into the living room.

"Where are you going, Joey?" Yugi asked, concern showing on his face. Joey didn't want to lie to his friend, but it was the only way he knew that Yugi would let him out of the house. He turned his back on his friend and told him, "I feel pinned in, I'm just going to get a breath of fresh air."

"I'll come with you," Yugi told him. "By the way, who was that on the phone?"

"It was my sis, Serenity." Damn, damn, damn! How was he supposed to get away from Yugi now?

"Yugi, I'd really like to be alone for a bit, please," he allowed himself to use the gentle voice that he only used when he was talking to his sister. Yugi looked at him for a minute, but then nodded his head as if to say that he understood. Before Joey could walk out the door, Yugi told him, "Don't stay out to long, ok."

"I won't," Joey said. There it was. He had lied to his friends again. Joey decided that once his sister was safe, he would never tell another lie to his friends again. Joey took one last look over his shoulder and took off at a run. It was as if Joey wanted to take the quickest path, not caring if he nearly got himself killed. As the sky began to cloud up, he shot across the road, hopefully early enough to make it past the oncoming car. However, he wasn't fast enough. The car would have hit him, were it not for the fact that whoever was driving slammed on the brakes. Joey started cussing himself at his stupidity, when the driver got out of the car.

"What the hell were you thinking Mutt? You almost scratched the paint on my ride," said the angry CEO of Kiaba Corps.

"I don't have time, rich boy," Joey spat back, as he stood still, attempting to catch his breath. "I've got to get to my sister."

There was something in Joey's voice that caught Seto's attention. As a child, Seto was used to having to protect his younger brother. He knew deep in his heart that he would probably die if anything happened to Mokabu. That same desperation shone in Joey's eyes now. Seto decided to do something totally out of character for him.

"Get in the car," he commanded his voice still cold.

"I'm busy right now, Kiaba," Joey snapped back.

"Listen, Wheeler. You want to get to your sister; I can get you there quickly. So for once use your head and get in the damn car. I don't give out favors too often."

"I can't. I have to go alone, or else," Joey said, trying to explain, but not wanting to give everything away. However, Kiaba wasn't stupid. He had heard plenty about Joey's no good father.

"Look, just tell me how to get to wherever the hell we are going, so we can save your sister."

Joey finally gave in, getting into the car. However, the one thing he couldn't do is shut up. "OK, what's the catch," he asked.

"What are you talking about," Seto asked.

"There's got to be a catch, you don't offer favors for no reason."

Seto sighed, wondering how in the hell that Joey could be so stupid. He made a mental note to make Joey's life even more miserable after this whole thing was over. "I'm not the heartless bastard you guys think I am," Seto began.

He was interrupted when Joey told him point blank, "You're a selfish, arrogant, heartless bastard."

Seto glared at him, but continued, "I know what it's like trying to protect someone you love."

Joey looked up at the CEO and realized what he said was true. Time after time, Seto had given so much to rescue Mokabu from all sorts of dangers. Of course Seto would know what he was going through.

"We'll leave the car someplace, and then you can go and get your sister. I'll wait a few minutes, and sneak up there to help you," Kiaba explained.

"Thanks, Seto."

"Just because I'm helping your worthless hide doesn't mean that you get to call me by my first name, you got that Wheeler?"

"Sure, Kiaba, he said, settling in for the drive. Thanks to all of Kiaba's technology, he had absolutely no problem finding the address, without Joey's help. He found a place to hide the car and left orders that his workers were not to question him, and only track him if he didn't return by midnight. Then he watched as Joey made his way up toward the plain white house that belonged to his mother.

Joey took a deep breath before knocking on the front door. He heard his mother's voice start to say something before the door was open. His father stood in front of him, the smell of alcohol on his breath.

"What are you waiting for, boy? Get your ass in here," his father commanded, grabbing his arm and pulling him into the house. Joey looked around at the living room, surprised to see it was completely destroyed, except for the TV and the couch.

Serenity was knelling down on the hard floor, and his mother was nowhere to be seen, at least until he heard movement over toward the kitchen. His mom walked into the living room, carrying a tray of food. She looked worn out, and much older than she was.

"Hello, Joseph," she said, before Joey's father threw his whiskey bottle at her. He barely missed, and the bottle broke against the wall. Serenity rose up from her position, crying out, "Mom, are you ok?"

"Get back in position," her father yelled, slapping her across the face. She let out a sob as she knelt back down, but Joey had seen enough. No one hits his sister, especially that bastard he was forced to call his father. Joey lunged at his father, fire burning in his eyes, just as the door opened. He didn't hear his sister's voice yelling at him to stop, he didn't hear his mother's scream, or Seto's outburst as he stepped into the room. The entire boy heard was a loud sound, like a gun going off. He felt a burning pain in his chest, before he saw absolutely nothing.

**So what do you think? Please read and review. I'll use this time to decide what happens next. I'll update as soon as I can. I think I worked out all of the kinks, but I'm still sleepy, so it might not be perfect. Anyway, see you next time and thanks for reading.**


	5. Chapter 5

**Author's note: I do not own Yugioh. I've really began to enjoy writing this story, and I want to thank all of my followers who have stuck with me from the beginning.**

**Chapter 5**

_Beep, beep, beep._

The hospital room was silent except for the sound of the heart meter, and Serenity's sobs. The room was crowded with Joey's friends, but no one said a word, no one wanted to break the silence.

Serenity lay her head down on her brother's bed, her hand clutching his, as if to coax him out of the comma he was in. Tea sat by her side, as well as Mai, who had just arrived back in town. The older woman was silently stroking Serenity's hair, while Tea sat, lost in thought. Yugi and Yami stood near the door, occasionally looking into the hallway where a silent CEO was pacing. He would stop from time to time to give his younger brother a comforting hug, before continuing to pace. Tristan stood against the wall, trying to prevent the tears from falling, while a silent Ryou stood there, his mind on the family he had lost as a child. Even Duke had come to check on Joey. But for the last two weeks, there had been no response from the boy.

Joey couldn't open his eyes. He wanted so badly to reach out to his friends, to reassure them that he was alright, but he couldn't. He felt as if his body was weighted down with something too heavy to bear. He heard a machine that was beeping slow down, until nothing was heard. He heard an alarm go off, and his sister's scream as Mai pulled her away from the bed and into her arms. Then Joey saw himself hovering over his own body. He cursed silently, before realizing no one could hear him anyway.

Suddenly he was no longer in the plain white hospital room, but instead on the street. He watched as a younger version of himself chased after the car that was carrying a young Serenity. He watched the boy trip and fall, as the car drove out of sight. Tears streamed down the younger boy's face, as he stood to walk home. It was the first night his father had ever hit him. He hated when he experienced it then, and he hated to watch it happen now. He shut his eyes, hoping he could leave this painful memory behind. He couldn't help but wonder why he was the one with the painful past.

The next thing that crossed his mind was the card, Change of Hearts. On the lighter angel's half was the face of Ryou, while the darker side held the features of Bakura. Joey remembered how he had only just got to know Ryou to call him by his first name. Then, the light side of the card seemed to look toward him as he saw a younger Ryou. The boy was staring at the remains of a car that had crashed in front of the driveway. It was the very car where Ryou's mother and sister had lost their lives. Then as the darker half turned to look at him, Joey found himself in an ancient village. The village was overcome with flames, and he watched as a young Bakura made his way away from the town. It was weird how the two dealt with their grief. Ryou managed to stay young and innocent, while Bakura turned into a dark bitter being who only wanted the revenge he would never get. Joey realize that all Bakura wanted was to fix things, yet the one he wanted to blame was gone. Maybe he wasn't too different from them.

Then he found himself in a more recent Egypt, where a young Marik was having scriptures carved into his skin. The boy screamed in pain as his father performed yet another ritual on the boy. Then he saw Marik grab for the Millennium Rod as Malik take over. That was when Joey realized something. Malik was simply built from all the stored up anger inside of Marik. It was what made him different. He was truly the other half of a boy who went through so much. Malik was built from all of the anger that the lighter half tried so hard to hide, until it consumed him, making him into the bitter person he was today.

He saw Yugi, his best friend in the world. He saw Atem's past as the pharaoh. He saw how he had to seal himself and others into the millennium items, so that he could protect the world.

Then he was in a mansion, where a young Kiaba sat at a table doing work. He had to endure all the abuse in order to protect his younger brother. I saw thru all my friends, it was as if I was seeing into their soul. Part of Joey realized what brought them all together. They all had something in common, something that made them human. Joey realized if it was time for him to die, he wished he could tell the other's what made them so alike to one another.

Joey felt something strong pull at my body, but he didn't want to leave, he wanted to see more, to learn more about his friends, and those he called his enemies. He had so many unanswered questions. However, a small voice caught the blonde's attention. It was faded, as if it was coming from far away.

_You promised…always be there…you…leave me…need you big brother._

It was those few words that pulled Joey back down to earth, back into his still body. A part of him was aware of the sound of the heart monitor starting back up again. Why, Joey wondered, had he experienced those things? Was some greater force trying to tell him something? Joey didn't know, but one thing was for certain, Joey would try to get to know Bakura and Malik better. Maybe he could help them out of their bitter stages. If he ever got out of this damn hospital he was sure about it. Joey hated knowing he was the cause of his sister's pain, as well as his other friends. He knew he could end all the pain; all he needed to do was open his eyes, and look around at each of his friends. He needed them to know he was ok, and that didn't plan on leaving them for a long time.

However, his body was too tired. After a short rest he would open his eyes up, and finally awaken from this world of darkness his mind was engulfed in. Satisfied, Joey allowed his mind to drift off. He knew that if he woke up, then everything would be ok, and that if he didn't then his friends would miss him, but also knew they would take care of Serenity. As his mind drifted of, he found himself listening to the beat of his heart monitor.

_Beep, beep, beep…_

The monitor was still going strong, and Joey could take the rest he needed to be able to join the world of the living.

**So what do you think? There probably won't be many chapters after this, but I hope you enjoy it. Once again, please read and review.**


	6. Chapter 6

**Author's note: As always, I don't own Yugioh. If I did 4kids would never dub it. Please read and review.**

**Chapter 6**

_Beep, beep, beep_

Joey slowly opened his eyes to look around the room. All around him, his friends were sound asleep. Sweet Serenity was lying with her head on Joey's arm. Yugi and Atem were asleep in chairs, while the rest of the gang was collapsed on the floor. It was a wonder that they didn't get kicked out. Even Seto had bothered to stay, and he didn't care for anyone, except for Mokuba.

Slowly, Joey moved his arm out from under his sister's head, causing a sharp pain to shoot into his chest. As he let out a soft groan, his sister stirred, then sat up, and looked into her brother's eyes.

"Joey!" she screamed, leaning forward to hug her brother. The other's jumped up when they heard Serenity yell, but Mai was the first to react. She reached forward and gently pulled the young girl away from her brother.

"Serenity, you're hurting him," Mai whispered, as the younger girl struggled to get to her big brother. At the older woman's kind words, Serenity stopped struggling. Instead, she sat down, and took his hand in hers.

"Joseph," his mother said, softly, stepping toward her son. "I am so sorry," she whispered, choking back tears.

"Mom," Joey said, close to tears himself. Silently, everyone began to leave the room. No one wanted to disrupt this special family moment, after they had been separated for such a long time. One by one, they left the room, until Joey and his family were alone.

"Joey, I'm sorry," his mother began. At the same time, Joey started to say the same thing to his mother. They both paused to look at each other.

"Joey, you have no reason to apologize, I was the one who should have noticed that something was off."

"No mom," Joey said, putting his hand on her shoulder, while ignoring the pain that it caused. "I should have told you, or told someone. It's my fault for not staying in touch. Mom, can… I mean would it be okay if I moved in with you and Serenity?"

"Of course," she said, brushing a strand of hair out of his eyes. "For now, you need to rest; you have to build your strength back up." After a pause, she looked toward the door, "do you want me to call your friends back in?"

Joey nodded, and his mother stepped out of the room. Not a minute later, she returned, all of Joey's friends with him. As they all started to talk at once, Joey held up a hand to silence them. Slowly, he began to explain what he had seen while he was in a comma. Everyone was silent as he finished his tale.

"I never really thought about why Bakura was so bitter," Ryou admitted. "Now I see he really had a good reason."

"It's true what Wheeler said," Seto admitted. "I used to be a pretty nice person until my step father changed everything for me. I know I can be an asshole sometimes, but unless you've been through what I've been through, you wouldn't understand."

The others were silent, until Joey offered a smart remark. "So you finally admit to being an asshole. By the way you left out arrogant."

"Shut up Mutt, before I kill you myself," Seto told him, but the bitterness was no longer there.

"You do and I'll come back as a ghost and give Mokabu a candy bar." Both boys thought back to what had happened last time. Joey had given Mokuba a candy bar, and it had caused the boy to nearly burn Kiaba Corp down to the ground.

"By the way, Mokuba where in the world did you get a flamethrower?" Joey asked.

"It wasn't a flame thrower. I was spraying my brother's cologne and some of it went into a candle flame, causing the same affect a flamethrower would."

The room burst into laughter, as Joey's mother made a mental note never to let Mokabu have anything remotely sweet. She then turned her atte3ntion to her son, just to find out that the boy was asleep. She let out a sigh of relief knowing that her son was going to be okay.

(Three Months Later)

Joey was now out of the hospital and happily settled in with his family. The one thing that ever crossed his mind concerned his father. The night he was shot, the police were unable to catch him, and there was a part of his mind that was almost certain that he would return for revenge against all of them. It was something that was on Joey's mind, and because of it, he rarely left his sister alone by herself. Joey realized that he had one main purpose on this planet and that was to protect his sister. If anything else, he would be her savior.

Of course, he had a hard time when it came to Tristan and Duke. Joey and Tristan had been friends as youngsters, even staying in gangs together. Duke wasn't a bad guy either, despite the fact that Joey still hated him for forcing him to wear a dog suit. The truth was Joey didn't think his sister was old enough to date. Also, if anyone broke her heart, friend or not, Joey would have to break their neck. But try telling those two dimwits that. They kept coming around, and flirting with Serenity.

The girl had once asked him what was wrong with them flirting. Joey had nearly flipped until she reassured him that she did not have feelings for the boys. Of course, that was the easy part. The hard part was trying to prevent nightmare about what had happened from coming true. Many, many times, Joey had asked her about it, only to watch as she burst into tears on the spot.

One night, Joey woke up to the sound of his sister screaming. He jumped to his feet, and made it to his sister's room about the same time his mother did. The girl was wrapped up in her mother's arm, crying her eyes out. This was the times when Joey felt as if he had failed to protect her.

Joey's mother looked at him, motioning for him to head back to bed. Reluctantly, he did so. However, it was not long before he saw his sister standing in his doorway. As kids, Serenity often came to him when she had a nightmare.

"Joey, can I stay in here for a bit?" she asked, here shaky voice barely above a whisper. As if to reply, Joey slid over, making room for her to lie down. Serenity climbed into bed beside him and curled into a ball.

"Serenity, what's wrong?" Joey asked rubbing his little sister's back. Softly, Serenity began to sob, causing her frame to shake from head to foot. Joey silently cursed himself for causing his sister to cry, and he sat up, wondering what to do. To Joey surprise, Serenity threw her arms around him, and buried her head in his chest.

"He…He...Dad…" she began, trying to choke out the words. "He used me," she managed to say. "Before he called, he u-used me." With this, the girl burst into even harder tears. Unsure of what to do, Joey wrapped his arms even tighter around his sister and began to slowly rock backwards and forward, hoping the motion would sooth her troubled soul.

In the distance, he heard a knock at the door, and footsteps, and then he heard his mother let out a blood curling scream. This was followed by nothing, the house was silent.

** So, what do you think, please read and review.**


	7. Chapter 7

**Author's Note: There is only one more chapter after this. As always I do not own Yugioh. Please read and review. This is no longer a Yugi/Joey yaoi because I don't feel I could do it any justice, plus I have a few ideas as to what is going to happen and I couldn't work the pairing into it. I apologize, if I disappoint anyone with this.**

**Chapter 7**

Joey stood up at the sound of the shout. In a desperate attempt to protect his younger sister from anything that could harm her, he pushed her back toward the far wall.

"Serenity, stay in here," Joey commanded. He gave her a quick squeeze before handing her his cell phone. "If I'm not back up here in ten minutes, call 9-1-1 and then call Yugi. Do not come out of this room until I call you." Not waiting for an answer, Joey pulled the door closed behind him before heading downstairs. As he nearly reached the first floor what he saw made his blood run cold. The room was destroyed. The couch and chair were tipped over backwards; glass was strewn about the room. Lying in the middle of the floor was his mother. Without thinking, Joey ran over to her side, and placed her his head on her chest. There was a heartbeat, but it was faint. There were marks on her neck as if someone had used their hands to try to strangle her. His mom's dress was torn, and covered in blood. He was too busy trying to wake his mother up that he did not notice two other figures in the room.

Out from one corner, his dad stepped forward, and pointed a gun at him. Joey thought it looked like some sort of revolver, but he didn't want to find out. "Dad, why are you doing this?" Joey asked, looking at his dad with fire burning deep in his eyes.

"Because," his father began, keeping the gun aimed at the boy's chest. "It's your fault your mother left. Yours and that stupid slut you call a sister. When I'm done with you, I'm going after her next. Don't worry; I'll kill her, as soon as I'm done using her. However, I'm sorry to say, I have to get rid of you first."

Joey's father pointed the gun, and slowly squeezed the trigger, just a finger dressed in white shoved Joey out of the way. The bullets hit the figures body with full force, tearing through flesh and muscle, as the person let out a scream, before crumpling on the floor.

"Serenity," Joey whispered as tears filled his eyes. He looked up at his father through his tears then back at his sister, who had taken the bullet that was meant for him. It should have been him lying on the floor in a puddle of blood.

Just then, the door burst open, and three figures were standing in the doorway. Tristan stepped forward, a gun of his own trained on the gunman. Beside him was Atem and Yugi, the two standing side by side. Muttering to himself, his father turned and pulled the trigger once as the gun fired into Joey's lower chest cavity. Joey doubled up in pain before clutching his hands to his chest and collapsing on the floor next to his younger sister. Tristan raised his hand as if to shoot, when Atem held up his hand.

"It's time that we play a little game, where losing carries dire consequences," Atem said, drawing on the power of the Millennium Puzzle to call forth the shadow game. For a short while, the shadows surrounded the house, but only Atem and Joey's father could see what was happening.

"What is this," he yelled, pointing his gun at Atem.

"I wouldn't do that if I was you. The shadows despise cheaters." As soon as the words were out of Atem's mouth, Joey's father fired. He looked around in shock. The boy should have been lying on the ground with a bullet in between his eyes, but instead he was nowhere in sight. All around him, he heard a dark laugh.

"I told you not to do that, but you wouldn't listen," he said as the shadows closed in tighter around him. To the rest of the house, the shadows disappeared, showing only Atem and a screaming man. Joey's father rocked backward and forward, letting out whimpers, shouts and screams. Then look on his face was pure terror.

Ignoring the man, Atem turned to Tristan and Yugi. "One of you go call an ambulance. I need the other to help me try and stop some of the bleeding. Tristan ran off for the phone, while Yugi searched around and managed to find some bandages, and towels. When he returned to the room, Atem had his shirt off and tore into strips of cloth. He was pulling Joey's shirt over his head, when he noticed Yugi.

"Bandage him the best you can. I'm going to check on Serenity. Their mom should be ok, she's not as injured as these two are." While he was speaking, he carefully pulled her shirt away from her small frame. He wished he could give her more privacy, but this was the best he could do in such an urgent situation. Of two bullets, one had went into her upper left side, while the other hit a few inches above her stomach. Quickly he began to wrap the makeshift bandages around her small frame. He finished just as the ambulance arrived. Tristan rode with the ambulance, while Yugi and Atem rode behind on Tristan's motorcycle. It wasn't Yugi's best idea to let Atem drive, but they got to the hospital at the same time as the ambulance after running only four red lights, three stop signs, and nearly hitting seven pedestrians. They followed the paramedics into the hospital and sat in the waiting room of the hospital. After what felt like forever, a doctor came out to talk to them.

"You might want to go in and see them. Neither of the two kids has woken up yet, but their mother is ok. The other two are in critical condition." With these words, he led the trio into the hospital room the two siblings shared. Tristan looked at them for a second them walked out to call the others. Yugi knew the real reason was because he didn't want to have to see either of the two in such a condition. It was no secret that Tristan had a crush on Serenity, and he and Joey had been friends long before they had meet Yugi, so he couldn't blame them.

Yugi wanted to cry himself. He hated to see his friends in this condition. No one deserved to suffer like this. He leaned against the wall, turning his face away from Atem as he tried to blink back tears. Atem walked over and put his arm around the smaller boy's shoulder. Yugi turned to bury his face in Atem's shirt. The boy's arms wrapped around him, and Yugi allowed the tears to fall.

"Atem, wh-what if th-they die?" Yugi sobbed. Atem sighed and pulled away. He put his finger under Yugi's chin, forcing him to look at him.

"Yugi, you have to believe that they are going to be ok. You just have to," he told him. Atem turned to face the two on the bed. Atem had heard a lot more than he let on in the Shadow Realm. The shadows had informed him that the abuse Joey had suffered was much more than physical. His father had often used him for his own sexual pleasure more times than could be counted. Atem wondered how the boy could stay strong during all of this, and still manage to keep a smile around his friends. It had to be impossible to deal with something like that.

Meanwhile Joey and Serenity were both fighting against death. Joey's injuries were much worse than that of Serenity, but both appeared to have fallen into some sort of comma. Only time would tell if they would be able to survive this awful experience.

**Please review. Only one more chapter left before this is over with. I hope you enjoyed.**


	8. Chapter 8

**Author's note: I'm sad to say this is the last chapter. I wish to say thank you to those who took their time to read my story. Thank you to The Elegant Shadow for reviewing every chapter so far. I hope you enjoy this last chapter.**

**Chapter 8**

_Beep…Beep…Beep…_

Joey struggled against the darkness that swarmed his mind. He wanted so badly to open his eyes and see that his sister was ok, but he couldn't. Not that it mattered, Joey had failed as a brother; he had failed as her protector.

"Joey," a voice whispered in his mind. "Wake up Joey." As the voice became clearer, he recognized it as his sister.

"Serenity?" he asked, trying to open his eyes. He struggled to make out the next words, which was barely above a whisper.

"I'm scared Joey, I can't wake up. Help me!"

Joey jerked up and looked around his room. He tried to get up, but was pushed back onto the bed by Tea, who was standing nearby.

"You need to rest. If you aren't careful, you'll rip your IV out."

Joey didn't care. He took one look at his sister's small body and stood again. Noticing the IV for the first time, he pulled the needle out of his arm, ignoring the gash that it caused in his skin. He slowly walked over to where his sister was, at the same time ignoring the protest of his friends. Gently, he sat down on the edge of the hospital bed, and ran his hand across his sister's hair.

"Wake up for me Sis. Me and mom need you, our friends need you. Open your eyes.

Slowly, he watched as Serenity turned her head toward her brother, but didn't open her eyes. He tried again, keeping his voice low.

"When we get out of here, I'll teach you to duel," he whispered. He turned around to hear someone at the door. His mother was there, standing in a plain white hospital gown, and looking exhausted.

"Mom, how long have I been out?" he asked, noticing his voice was shaky.

"Two months," she told him, walking over to his side. "You need to lie down," she told her son.

"I can't Mom. I need to be by her side when she wakes up. It's my fault she's hurt to start with," he said. Everyone tried to tell him differently, but it was a certain white haired boy that had a good point to make.

"Joey, it isn't your fault. I understand the guilt. I blamed myself when my mom and sister died, but it was. The only person you should blame is your father."

"I want to," Joey admitted. "He's my dad. I know he didn't give a damn about me, but he was still my dad." Joey felt weak, and he hated it. SO he decided to put up the tough mask he used when the abuse started.

"Look, it doesn't matter anymore. You guys don't worry about me, I can take care of myself."

"J-Joey," he heard, causing him to nearly jump out of his skin. He turned around to see his sister looking at him, through half closed eyes. "I love you big brother," she whispered.

Joey smiled down at her instantly dropping the mask, and giving Serenity a smile that he only used around her. "I love you too sis, go to sleep."

"Joey, can you stay with us now?"

"Yes, now try to sleep."

"Joey."

"What," he asked, as much as he wanted to order her to go to sleep, he would never tell her to shut up. She was too special, she meant too much to him.

"Don't go."

"I'm not sis," he promised, lying down next to her on the hospital bed. The nurse wouldn't like it when she came in, but as far as Joey was concerned, she'd just have to get over it. There was no way in hell that he was moving from his sister's side. Sighing, he placed his arm across his sister.

"Guys, thanks for being there for me," he said, as Serenity fell asleep.

"No problem bro," Tristan said, standing close to the bed. "Can I ask you something?"

"I'm trying to sleep, so make it quick."

"When Serenity gets to feeling better, where would the best place be for me to take her on a date?" As he said this Tristan took a step away from the bed. Sure enough, Joey was sitting up and glaring daggers at him. Had the boy been within arm's reach, Joey would have gladly wacked him as hard as he could, but for now he had to settle for just glaring at him.

"Tristan if you so much as look at my sister as if you like her or even think about taking her on a date, I will personally destroy you," he said. He hoped that his voice came out menacing, but knew that it wasn't very likely in the state he was in.

The rest of the room started to laugh, glad to see that Joey was almost back to normal. Before long he would be up causing trouble and getting in fights. He would laugh and joke, and try to keep anyone from dating his sister.

The mental scars that the Joey and Serenity had would take time to heal, but they would get through it. They had friends that cared for them, and they had their mother.

Tristan swat down on the edge of the bed to talk to Joey, when suddenly he was slapped in the head. "What the hell, man."

"That's for thinking about being allowed to date my little sister." He said.

"Now Joey, I think Serenity is perfectly able to date," his mother told him. Tristan gave him a grin that turned into a frown when he heard the next part. "You just have to stay around and supervise to make sure nothing goes on at any of the date."

The whole room went silent at the look on the two boys' faces. Joey was imagining having to watch his sister kiss some guy without being allowed to break their neck.

"Guys," Joey began. "I'm going to sleep." It was true that the boy was exhausted. It didn't help him that his friends continued to chatter among themselves.

"Guys," Joey said, keeping his eyes shut, and trying to find that eluding sleep.

"What," they asked at about the same time.

"Shut the hell up," he told them. Then he rolled on his eyes and lay down against his sister's side. Gently he put his arms around her, determined to protect her even in his sleep. He was and would always try to be her savior, her protect.

He would keep danger and Tristan away from her at all cost. Her life was worth so much more than his. As he finally drifted into a dreamless sleep, he smiled. He was with his family, and no one would ever come between them again.

** Sorry that it is short, but this is the end. I'm currently working on a new project idea that I hope to be able to post soon. I also take request, so just message me if there is a story you would like for me to try and write. Please leave reviews. This is goodbye, until the next story.**


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